March News, part 4, 2002

michaeljasper.net
"Another Wrecked Web Site"

March 31, 2002

Remember these things...

Now Playing:

"Riviera," Big Head Todd & The Monsters

Now Reading:

"Memento Mori," Jonathan Nolan

"Madonna of the Maquiladora," Gregory Frost

"Creation," Jeffrey Ford

Did it!!! I hit 50,000 words today, after a 7,000-word weekend! Now I'm off to Borders for my reward (well, maybe after I eat something and wait for the rain to let up a bit).

In the meantime, here's a little bit about a new character I thought up today who I like a lot:

For as long as Skin could remember, Shermie Powell had claimed to be the president and CEO of Macy, Nebraska. He could be seen at school gatherings, games, church outings, and especially at the yearly pow-wow held in the arena outside town, presiding over the crowd in his best suit, a shiny black number that had lapels so wide they looked like wings. Ever since he'd fallen off the back of his brother's pickup truck while they were flying down Highway 75 on their way to a football game, Shermie had never been the same. At first people thought he was charming, but as the years passed and his hygiene grew worse, he became more of an embarrassment, and people from Macy began shooing him away from get-togethers like the ever-present pack of dogs roaming through town. His indignant response was to get louder and bathe less.

From earlier:

We watched "Memento" again this weekend, and it still remained elusive and confusing as the first time. I was pleased with myself to see that the theories I had about Leonard (the main character) all still held true, and that I saw the right tattoo on his chest in the quick flash toward the end. In this viewing, Lizzie saw a crucial flash, not even a second long, that explained everything. How crazy is that (no pun intended, heh)? To put the whole meaning of a movie in little flashes like that?

It's still a great gimmick, telling the story backwards, and what was weird about the movie was that after it was over and Elizabeth and I were talking about it, WE couldn't remember what happened! We tried surfing the DVD to find scenes, but the DVD is so tricky to navigate we gave up. I'd love to be able to cut apart the movie and rearrange it all in order and see if it holds up.

I'm also curious to see if, like Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh, if the actual STORY holds up with the gimmick more or less removed. For the Welsh novel, the gimmick was the thick thick dialect, written just as it sounds ("likesay" is written in place of "Like I say," for example), and I don't think the story Welsh tells is all that compelling with the dialect removed. (It's still a very good novel, though. His one good novel.)

So I dug up the original story the movie's based on, "Memento Mori," which originally appeared in Esquire. I'm curious to see what changed in the adaptation to the screen. I just hope I don't forget to read it...

In other news, the drafting deluge continues. I'm shooting for 48k by 10 a.m., and 50k by 4 p.m. Piece of cake, right? I'll let you know how it goes. Chapter 7's almost done, and chapter 8 may get done today. Last night, before I fell asleep, I had an awesome, awesome idea for a character for Skin to meet on the abandoned Indian reservation. Can't wait to get to that! Later.

Today's Quote:

"Home," she whispered, abandoning all attempts to speak Nonami's true name, at least for now. She looked up at the Wannoshay females squatting in front of her, both of them watching her intently. With a weak smile, she inclined her head at Nonami, trying to thank her, but the words failed her.

Before any of the women could say or do anything more, a storm of footsteps filled the hallway outside the apartment. Shontera jumped, her body prickling over with fear, turning the sweat on her forehead and armpits cold.

Loud, high-pitched voices added to the ruckus outside, and then the door burst open. Two alien boys and a girl ran into the room on all fours, their voices shouting out words in a liquid-sounding, ululating language that reminded Shontera of Nonami's real name. Her inner ear tingled at the sound of it, making her feel slightly dizzy. After today, Shontera was wondering if she'd ever get her equilibrium back.
discuss

March 30, 2002

Word by frickin' word...

Now Playing:

Various birds, with the occasional sound of construction...

"For Dancers Only," Agent Ink

Now this is sort of fun -- I’m on the back porch with my old, old laptop, Whit’s crashed out next to me, and I’m gearing up to write 2,000 words before lunch. I’ve got about 2 hours to do it (tho the clock on this wacky machine says it’s 23 minutes past midnight...). We’ll see how it goes. Lizzie and I are both getting caught up on work this weekend -- she’s got research and papers for school, and I’m chasing down 50,000 words so I can enjoy the Hour-A-DAy Dare that starts Monday.

We live exciting lives, I must tell you.

I’m learning how to work w/o a mouse on this laptop, and it’s a good thing. There are keyboard shortcuts for everything, something that just may save my sore wrists and hands. Also, because the screen is so small, I have to switch to Full Screen mode, which takes away any and all distractions, and all I have to focus on is my writing. Kinda neat.

Okay, I’m off to work...

It's a bit later, and the lawn is cut and the novel is at 46,146. You may have noticed that I'm counting every word -- every frickin' word! as Dr. Evil would say -- in my goal of hitting 50k today.

Thanks to fellow writer Tim, I'm listening to a local band, Agent Ink, and enjoying it a lot. Thanks for the recommendation in your journal, dude. (Elizabeth just said "Who are you listening to?" in that tone of voice that said she wasn't too crazy 'bout it... :)

Okay, that's about all I can write today. I'm a bit brain-fried and just wanna surf the net now. See ya! 3,854 words to go!

Today's Quote:

Nonami touched Shontera's hand and helped her to her feet effortlessly. "You are weh-come." Her hands gripped Shontera's tightly for a moment, and a dazzling image of the land of Wannoshay filled Shontera's vision. Fields of blue grass spread out on either side of a rocky land cut by a reddish river that bubbled around caves and cities made of black stone. A blood-red sun rested on the horizon in front of her, halfway into the horizon like a half-lidded eye. Shadowy gray creatures ran on four feet across the fields, headed toward the rocky caves and cities, their hair-tentacles dancing on their heads as they loped over the rising ground.

This is what we see when we think of home, Nonami whispered in Shontera's head, just before letting go of her.
discuss

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	michaeljasper.net *"Another Wrecked Web Site"*
March 31, 2002 Remember these things... Now Playing: "Riviera," Big Head Todd & The Monsters Now Reading: "Memento Mori," Jonathan Nolan "Madonna of the Maquiladora," Gregory Frost "Creation," Jeffrey Ford	Did it!!! I hit 50,000 words today, after a 7,000-word weekend! Now I'm off to Borders for my reward (well, maybe after I eat something and wait for the rain to let up a bit). In the meantime, here's a little bit about a new character I thought up today who I like a lot: For as long as Skin could remember, Shermie Powell had claimed to be the president and CEO of Macy, Nebraska. He could be seen at school gatherings, games, church outings, and especially at the yearly pow-wow held in the arena outside town, presiding over the crowd in his best suit, a shiny black number that had lapels so wide they looked like wings. Ever since he'd fallen off the back of his brother's pickup truck while they were flying down Highway 75 on their way to a football game, Shermie had never been the same. At first people thought he was charming, but as the years passed and his hygiene grew worse, he became more of an embarrassment, and people from Macy began shooing him away from get-togethers like the ever-present pack of dogs roaming through town. His indignant response was to get louder and bathe less. From earlier: We watched "Memento" again this weekend, and it still remained elusive and confusing as the first time. I was pleased with myself to see that the theories I had about Leonard (the main character) all still held true, and that I saw the right tattoo on his chest in the quick flash toward the end. In this viewing, Lizzie saw a crucial flash, not even a second long, that explained everything. How crazy is that (no pun intended, heh)? To put the whole meaning of a movie in little flashes like that? It's still a great gimmick, telling the story backwards, and what was weird about the movie was that after it was over and Elizabeth and I were talking about it, WE couldn't remember what happened! We tried surfing the DVD to find scenes, but the DVD is so tricky to navigate we gave up. I'd love to be able to cut apart the movie and rearrange it all in order and see if it holds up. I'm also curious to see if, like Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh, if the actual STORY holds up with the gimmick more or less removed. For the Welsh novel, the gimmick was the thick thick dialect, written just as it sounds ("likesay" is written in place of "Like I say," for example), and I don't think the story Welsh tells is all that compelling with the dialect removed. (It's still a very good novel, though. His one good novel.) So I dug up the original story the movie's based on, "Memento Mori," which originally appeared in Esquire. I'm curious to see what changed in the adaptation to the screen. I just hope I don't forget to read it... In other news, the drafting deluge continues. I'm shooting for 48k by 10 a.m., and 50k by 4 p.m. Piece of cake, right? I'll let you know how it goes. Chapter 7's almost done, and chapter 8 may get done today. Last night, before I fell asleep, I had an awesome, awesome idea for a character for Skin to meet on the abandoned Indian reservation. Can't wait to get to that! Later. Today's Quote: "Home," she whispered, abandoning all attempts to speak Nonami's true name, at least for now. She looked up at the Wannoshay females squatting in front of her, both of them watching her intently. With a weak smile, she inclined her head at Nonami, trying to thank her, but the words failed her. Before any of the women could say or do anything more, a storm of footsteps filled the hallway outside the apartment. Shontera jumped, her body prickling over with fear, turning the sweat on her forehead and armpits cold. Loud, high-pitched voices added to the ruckus outside, and then the door burst open. Two alien boys and a girl ran into the room on all fours, their voices shouting out words in a liquid-sounding, ululating language that reminded Shontera of Nonami's real name. Her inner ear tingled at the sound of it, making her feel slightly dizzy. After today, Shontera was wondering if she'd ever get her equilibrium back. discuss
March 30, 2002 Word by frickin' word... Now Playing: Various birds, with the occasional sound of construction... "For Dancers Only," Agent Ink	Now this is sort of fun -- I’m on the back porch with my old, old laptop, Whit’s crashed out next to me, and I’m gearing up to write 2,000 words before lunch. I’ve got about 2 hours to do it (tho the clock on this wacky machine says it’s 23 minutes past midnight...). We’ll see how it goes. Lizzie and I are both getting caught up on work this weekend -- she’s got research and papers for school, and I’m chasing down 50,000 words so I can enjoy the Hour-A-DAy Dare that starts Monday. We live exciting lives, I must tell you. I’m learning how to work w/o a mouse on this laptop, and it’s a good thing. There are keyboard shortcuts for everything, something that just may save my sore wrists and hands. Also, because the screen is so small, I have to switch to Full Screen mode, which takes away any and all distractions, and all I have to focus on is my writing. Kinda neat. Okay, I’m off to work... It's a bit later, and the lawn is cut and the novel is at 46,146. You may have noticed that I'm counting every word -- every frickin' word! as Dr. Evil would say -- in my goal of hitting 50k today. Thanks to fellow writer Tim, I'm listening to a local band, Agent Ink, and enjoying it a lot. Thanks for the recommendation in your journal, dude. (Elizabeth just said "Who are you listening to?" in that tone of voice that said she wasn't too crazy 'bout it... :) Okay, that's about all I can write today. I'm a bit brain-fried and just wanna surf the net now. See ya! 3,854 words to go! Today's Quote: Nonami touched Shontera's hand and helped her to her feet effortlessly. "You are weh-come." Her hands gripped Shontera's tightly for a moment, and a dazzling image of the land of Wannoshay filled Shontera's vision. Fields of blue grass spread out on either side of a rocky land cut by a reddish river that bubbled around caves and cities made of black stone. A blood-red sun rested on the horizon in front of her, halfway into the horizon like a half-lidded eye. Shadowy gray creatures ran on four feet across the fields, headed toward the rocky caves and cities, their hair-tentacles dancing on their heads as they loped over the rising ground. This is what we see when we think of home, Nonami whispered in Shontera's head, just before letting go of her. discuss
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